Casino city Macau prepping to host an alternative of CES in 2021?

Macau, Asia's casino capital is planning to host a tech fair next year that will aim to match the famous consumer electronics show (CES) held annually in Las Vegas, as per media reports.

Partially funded by the Macau government, the tech fair called "Beyond" has "support" from the Guangdong provincial government, which is pitching its own "Greater Bay Area" (Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macau and other cities) to rival the San Francisco Bay Area, reports TechCrunch.

"Macau has very good infrastructure. With the entertainment industry and the hotels, I think it's very suitable for doing an event that could potentially attract people to join," Jason Ho, a Macanese venture investor, was quoted as saying.

"Beyond" is likely to take place in mid-June next year. The annual CES 2021, a grand affair in Las Vegas every January, will be an all-digital experience owing to the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the new format will allow participants to hear from technology innovators, see cutting-edge technologies and the latest product launches and engage with global brands and startups from around the world.

The CES 2020 drew in 171,268 attendees from all over the world. However, unlike CES, "the tech fair will have a focus beyond consumer and enterprise electronics to include government-facing technology", according to Ho.

"I think Hong Kong and Macau are the only ones that could host a very international and neutral event that people would like to join and won't feel like that's a very government event," Ho said.

Meanwhile, the CES 2021 from January 6-9 will be a new immersive experience, where attendees will have a front-row seat to discover and see the latest technology.

This personalised experience will bring a global event to the comfort and safety of your home or office, the organizers said recently.

For over 50 years, CES has been the global stage for innovation. The CTA said it plans to return to an in-person event in 2022.

*Edited from an IANS report